Following the latest WWE Draft, several stars have been classed as “free agents”.
The first night of the draft was held on the April 28th edition of SmackDown and saw a shakeup of the rosters. In a successful night for SmackDown, Roman Reigns and the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship will now be exclusive to the blue brand. It also picked up top stars including Edge, Bianca Belair, and Bobby Lashley.
Meanwhile, Raw has secured its own top-tier stars in Cody Rhodes, Imperium, and Shinsuke Nakamura.
There were also call-ups to the main roster for NXT Women’s Champion Indi Hartwell and NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion Isla Dawn and Alba Fyre.
At the end of the night, however, there were a number of stars classed as “free agents”. The last time this happened in 2016, Heath Slater was left trying to get himself a contract with one of the brands. After months of attempts, Slater was finally signed to SmackDown that September.
What does “free agent” status mean in the 2023 WWE Draft?
For the 2023 edition of the draft, things are a little different. According to a social media post by WWE, this year’s free agents are Dolph Ziggler, Von Wagner, Mustafa Ali, and Omos.
Instead of having to try to find a way to secure a contract, the four men will be able to travel freely between brands. The status was such an attractive proposition, MVP was reported to have negotiated it for the Nigerian Giant.
“As announced on #SDLowDown, the following Superstars have been declared free agents and can appear on #WWERaw AND #SmackDown:
@AliWWE
@HEELZiggler
@WWEVonWagner
Furthermore, @The305MVP has negotiated a deal for @TheGiantOmos to be a free agent and appear on both shows.”
As announced on #SDLowDown, the following Superstars have been declared free agents and can appear on #WWERaw AND #SmackDown:
– @AliWWE
– @HEELZiggler
– @WWEVonWagnerFurthermore, @The305MVP has negotiated a deal for @TheGiantOmos to be a free agent and appear on both shows. pic.twitter.com/Jq3DWhP0m7
— WWE (@WWE) April 29, 2023